Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Sunday, June 26, 2011

My thoughts

The book in one sentence: The end is near ... but nothing goes according to the Big Plan.

So my cousin gave this to me. I love Neil Gaiman but have never read any Terry Pratchett nor anything from the wildly popular DiscWorld series (yes, it is on my TBR!). And cousin dearest pushed this one on me. And I never turn down offers of free books. Never (unless I get an eye-roll from the significant other, hahaha).

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Do you know your Bible stories? Be prepared to throw everything you've learned out the window (at least for this book!). Because according to this version, you actually get in on some of the behind-the-scenes action of the alternate Armageddon. Just don't get anyone religious riled up with this one, because while this may be funny to some, it screams blasphemy to others. But if you're religious, read this one tongue-in-cheek and just enjoy how Armageddon gets seriously screwed up!

The end is near. Final Judgment will soon be meted out upon humanity. There is Aziraphale - the angel of the Garden of Eden - and the demon Crowley aka the serpent "Crawly," who tempted Eve to eat the apple. Aziraphale has put away his flaming sword and runs an antique bookshop. Crowley keeps himself busy by making mischief, crowing at the fact that he moved the road markers when the M25 was being built to form a diabolical symbol. Despite being (im)mortal enemies, they've settled into their new lives, have become fast friends and perversely, hatch a plot to stop, or at least, postpone the end of the world.

They track down the Antichrist, the son of a prominent American diplomat in Britain. Aptly named Warlock, the so-called Anti-Christ, seems like a a perfectly normal 11-year-old boy. Well ... because he is! Because of a mix-up at birth, Adam Young - the real Antichrist flies under the radar - with huge black Dog to boot - living a rather innocuous life in Lower Tadsfield.

The race is on to find the real Antichrist. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (err, modernized to be leatherclad Bikers) - War, Pollution, Famine, and Death - come together. The nice and accurate prophecies of Agnes Nutter, a 17th seventeenth-century prophetess, are coming true.

But was all that planning for naught? Things keep going downhill and we find out how the Big Plan doesn't pan out. Heaven and Hell haven't accounted for players aren't doing their jobs and being the stereotypes we expect them to be. Why is the Antichrist so stubborn and independent thinking? Why is his devoted circle of friends becoming so pesky? Are Aziraphale and Crowley having second thoughts about their little plot? You'll need to read it, to find out, because - God forbid, I am not going to spoil the whole book for you!

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P.S. The title mentions "The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch." Unlike Nostradamus, this collection of prophecies apparently didn't sell because they were mundane, cryptic and yet ironically correct. There is only one copy of the book in existence, now belonging to Agenes's descendant Anathema Device. In true witch fashion, Agnes was burned at the stake. But having predicted her own death (albeit late: "Ye're tardie," she said to them. "I shoulde have beene aflame ten minutes since."), she got her own vengeance. She hid 80 pounds of gunpowder and 40 pounds of roofing nails in her petticoats, killing the mob at the burning instantly.

Again, by some weird twist, Anathema teams up with Newton Pulsifer - descended from the man who instigated the burning of Agnes - to use the prophesies and track down the Antichrist.

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P.P.S. There is a 1976 movie based on the book, named The Omen. Of course it was released on June 6, 2006!

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Verdict: An extremely well-thought-out, creative book which will keep you in stitches.

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